


A little bit of comfort

by Never laugh at a live Sherlock (smaugholmeswatson)



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Fluff, Headaches & Migraines, Hugs, Hurt Sherlock, Hurt/Comfort, John Watson Takes Care of Sherlock Holmes, M/M, One Shot, Protective John, Short & Sweet, Written while I had a migraine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 03:11:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13332246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smaugholmeswatson/pseuds/Never%20laugh%20at%20a%20live%20Sherlock
Summary: Sherlock suffers from crippling migraines and so far has managed to keep them a secret from his new flat-mate. But one day John returns home early from date and comes face to face with the great detective's biggest weakness.How either of them will react is anyone's guess.Sherlock is in pain and needs John to comfort him. There will be fluff and lots of it.





	A little bit of comfort

Sherlock let out a groan and buried his head a little deeper beneath the bed covers. The light seared painfully into his eyes every time he tried to open them and his head throbbed with every movement. Thank god John was on a date tonight. Sherlock hated anyone seeing him when he was like this; suffering and in pain. He knew he should get up, take the Sumatriptan given to him by the doctor but he didn't think he could physically face it. Besides he wasn't entirely convinced he wouldn't throw up on the carpet. 

He took a deep breath, let it out slowly and still felt no better. The worst part was that he had no idea what could have caused this migraine. He had felt fine when he went to bed earlier and couldn't understand how a migraine could have hit him while he was asleep. Sometimes he swore life did it just to spite him... 

From the direction of the living room there came the sound of the front door opening. Sherlock swore quietly beneath his breath. What the he'll was John doing home? He closed his eyes and prayed for John to just go to bed. He really was not in the mood for a play by play of yet another god awful date that had gone horribly wrong. His hopes however were soon dashed. 

Sherlock, you won't believe what happened tonight!" John called even as Sherlock heard the sound of his footsteps coming rapidly down the corridor towards his room. "Come on Sherlock, it's only half seven. You can't have gone to bed already." 

Sherlock huddled a little deeper beneath the covers in preparation for what he knew was about to happen. Sure enough, less than a minute later the door to his bedroom was flung open and light flooded into the room. Sherlock recoiled and mentally cursed John for being unable to wait until morning. Surely the date couldn't have failed so spectacularly that it simply had to be discussed tonight! No date of John's ever went quite that badly. He just wanted to be left alone. Apparently it was too much to hope for. 

Footsteps approached the bed and were closely followed by a gentle hand lightly touching Sherlock's shoulder. "Come on Sherlock. What are you sulking about this time?" He asked as he pulled at the bed covers. He couldn't think why Sherlock could be annoyed but sometimes the smallest of things could set him off. 

John sighed, shook his head and continued to wait for Sherlock to make a sarcastic remark to send him on his way. When no such remark came he began to grow concerned. Silence was out of character for the detective and usually meant something was wrong. "Sherlock, are you alright?" 

Sherlock let out another quiet groan. Why did John have to talk so loudly? It felt like his voice was sending stabs of pain into his brain. He also resigned himself to the fact he would not be getting any more sleep. Once John sank his teeth into something he hardly ever let go until he knew what was going on. Sherlock took a deep breath. "I suffer from migraines." He spat out from between gritted teeth, hoping John would take the hint and leave him alone. Instead, to his dismay, John climbed up onto the bed beside him and wrapped his arms around Sherlock in a tight hug. "What are you doing?" 

Sherlock could almost hear John rolling his eyes at this. "I'm giving you a hug, you idiot. That's what normal people do when their friends are in pain." John said, uncomfortably aware of the tension radiating off Sherlock. Normally the detective hated any signs of affection. But then, to John's surprise, Sherlock let out a sigh and relaxed against him. 

"I can see why people do it. It's rather nice." Sherlock murmured in a voice that was barely audible. Curling up into a tight ball he rested his head on John's chest. The next few moments passed in silence with neither of them showing any inclination of breaking it. At one point, aware Sherlock was trembling, John stroked his fingers through the detective's black curls and smiled when he heard Sherlock make a noise that sounded very much like the purring of a cat. 

"You know you could have told me about the migraines. I am a doctor after all." John said, making sure to keep his voice low so he didn't cause Sherlock any more distress. "You never needed to suffer in silence." 

Sherlock swallowed hard and tried to ignore the pounding in his head that was making it difficult to think. He had never been very good at opening up to people, especially to those he cared about. He was always afraid it would change how they saw him. "I didn't want you to see me when I was at my weakest." He admitted quietly. "I- I was afraid of what you would think." 

Well that was one of the most ridiculous things John had ever heard...and yet there was something incredibly sad about it at the same time. "It's ok to be weak sometimes Sherlock. It's a part of being human." He paused and gazed down at Sherlock's pale face for a moment. "Do you take medication for them?" 

"Sumatriptan, but it makes my legs cramp really badly. Sometimes I can barely move." Sherlock replied. It was ironic really. The medication meant to help him just caused even more pain... He wanted to laugh but his head ached too much. Right now he was just incredibly glad John was there. It was comforting to hear the steady beat of his heart beneath where his head was resting against John's chest. It gave him something other then the pain to focus on. "Thank you for the hug." 

John smiled. Though it was rare to see, Sherlock did have a human heart beneath his rough and frequently unfriendly exterior. John considered it an honour when he was there to witness it. Sherlock's head on his chest began to grow heavy and the detective's breathing deepened into the steady rhythms of sleep. John didn't make any move to wake Sherlock up and continued to hold him in his arms. There was no way he was leaving Sherlock while he was obviously in so much pain. After all, everybody needed a little bit of comfort sometimes. 


End file.
